a former communications director for rick santorum. talks have broken down for the moment. what do you think is going on behind closed doors right now on capitol hill? >> i think a lot more is going on than we know. i think the staff as well as perhaps maybe leader mcconnell and vice president biden and the administration are probably trying to hammer out some type of a deal here. i know there is consternation about the chain cpi. the president said even though this is unpopular i am willing to talk a little bit about chain cpi. now that the president said this let's talk about this and try to compromise here. >> there have been several phone conversations today between senator reid and president obama. what is your take on the white house involvement? >> well, look, obviously the white house is pivotal here. i mean, the president litigated all of these issues during the campaign. he is the one who won by a fairly healthy margin nationally. of course, he is going to ultimately have the final say in what leeway he is prepared to give leaders in both the democratic side in th